if he was permitted to throw up his commiffion, and return to BuenosAyres, though in no higher ftation than that of a cabbin-boy.'

Admitting the veracity of these particulars, we need not wonder at the contrariety between the accounts of Falkland's Islands published by our countrymen, and by M. Bougainville; the former fo depreciating to the character of those islands,—the latter fo qualifying, fo encouraging to the idea of a permanent fettlement, fo every way favourable to the laudable intention of making the beft of a bad bargain.

In defcribing the animals of Patagonia, Mr. F. gives the following account of a very valuable fpecies of deer;

The anta is of the flag kind, but without horns. Its body is as big as that of a large afs; its head very long and tapering, ending in a small fnout; its body very ftrong, and broad at the shoulders and haunches; its legs and thanks are long, and stronger than those of a ftag; its feet cloven like thofe of a ftag, but something larger; its tail fhort, like that of a deer. The strength of this animal is wonderful; it being able to drag a pair of horses after it, when one horfe is fufficient to take a cow or a bull. When he is purfued, he opens his way through the thickest woods and coppices, breaking down every thing that opposes him. I do not know whether there have ever been any attempts to tame this animal, though it is by no means fierce, and does no mifchief but to the chacras, or plantations, and might be of great fervice, on account of its ftrength, if it could be brought to labour.'

We have here also an account of another species of timbertree found in the mountains of the Huilliches, who inhabit a diftrict of the country to the fouth of Valdivia; the Indians call it lahual, and the Spaniards alerce, or, according to our pronunciation, lawal and alerfey.

It was not, fays our Author, very particularly defcribed to me; but I take it to be of the fir kind. What is very remarkable in it, is its convenience for being split into boards, its trunk being naturally marked with ftraight lines from top to bottom; fo that, by cleaving it with wedges, it may be parted into very straight boards, of any thickness, in a better and smoother manner than if they were fawn, Thefe trees are very large, as I have been informed; but I cannot pretend to fay what is their general diameter.

If plants or feeds of this tree were brought over into England, it is very probable they would thrive here, the climate being as cold as in the countries where it grows; and it is there reckoned to be the most valuable timber they have, both for its beauty and duration.'

Chap. iv. gives an account of the various inhabitants of the moft fouthern part of America described in the map. The fifth chapter relates to the religion, government, policy, and cuftoms of these feveral nations; and we may diftinguish thefe two chapters as forming the most entertaining part of the work. The fixth and laft chapter contains our Author's account of the language of the inhabitants of these countries; particularly

of

of the Moluches, which Mr. F. fays he learned, as being the most polished, and moft generally understood. This account is curious; but it were to be wifhed that instead of the religious fpecimens, he had given an useful dialogue, in which we might be taught to put interesting questions, request neceffaries (especially water), and give affurances of friendship: we likewife wifhed for a more copious vocabulary.

It is fomewhat extraordinary that among the numerals of this language, the words expreffing eight and nine are omitted; these however we are able to supply, from the information of a person who lived many years with the Aucaas, a tribe of thefe Indians; and we infert the firft ten from his mode of spelling, to fhew that there is fome difference between the dialect of the Aucaas and the Moluches :

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7

8

Keenya, Eppo, Keela, Mellée, Katchú, Kayú, Selru, Poolbor, Elya,

10

Murré.

That there is great difference in the languages of Patagonia, may be inferred from the ten firft numerals of the Serranos and Pampays. They are as follow: Eckel, Too, Dahl, Pa, Demoo, Hoo-ée, Toomon, Hotang, Pelzie, Demou-dimock.

The early navigators were careful to collect fome useful words in the language of a new difcovered people: but fometimes, we imagine, they have been liable to ftrange mistakes in their interpretations. The hiftorian of Magellan's voyage has given a few words of a Patagonian whom they feized at St. Julian's. The poor favage, apprehenfive of ill treatment, perhaps of being eaten, repeatedly roared out Setebos! The Spaniards fuppofed he was invoking the devil: and Shakespeare, in his Tempeft, has availed himself of the uncouth word, and the abfurd opinion. James Stuart, & RG.

ART. II. Continuation of the Account of Mr. Bryant's New Syftem or Analyfis of Ancient Mythology. See Reviews for June and September.

A

FTER the long preparation, of which we have given, in a preceding article, as large an account as the nature of our undertaking could poffibly admit, our learned Author comes to his proper fyftem; which he begins with a differtation on ancient worship, and the etymological truths from thence deducible, exemplified in the names of cities, lakes, and rivers. As, fays he, the divine honours paid to the Sun, 'and the adoration of Fire, were at one time almost universal; there will be found in most places a fimilitude in the terms of worship. And though this mode of idolatry took its rife in one particular part of the world; yet as it was propagated to others far remote, the ftream, however widely diffufed, will ftill fa

6

vour

vour of the fountain. Moreover, as people were determined in the choice of their holy places by thofe præternatural phænomena, of which I have before taken notice; if there be any truth in my system, there will be uniformly found fome analogy between the name of the temple, and its rites, and fituation: fo that the etymology may be ascertained by the history of the place. The like will appear in respect to rivers and mountains; especially to thofe, which were efteemed at all facred; and which were denominated from the Sun, and Fire. I therefore flatter myself, that the etymologies, which I fhall lay before the Reader, will not ftand fingle and unfupported; but there will be an apparent analogy throughout the whole. The allufion will not be cafual, and remote, nor be obtained by undue inflexions, and diftortions: but however complicated the name may appear, it will refolve itfelf eafily into the original terms: and when refolved, the truth of the etymology will be ascertained by the concomitant hiftory. If it be a deity, or other perfonage, the truth will appear from his office and department, or with the attributes imputed to him.'

By maintaining this judicious union between etymology and hiftory, Mr. Bryant, through the whole courfe of his work, has reflected amazing light on the mythology and worship of the firft ages, the origin of nations, and the general state of the ancient world. His matter, at the fame time, is fo copious, and is connected fo clofely together, that we can only pursue the method we have hitherto taken of felecting fome few of the things which deserve peculiar notice.

Our Author obferves, that the ancient Cuthites, and the Perfians after them, had a great veneration for fountains and ftreams, which alfo prevailed among other nations, so as to have been at one time almoft univerfal. It mattered not what the nature of the water might be, if it had a peculiar quality. Many inftances are given of this veneration for waters, and one reafon for holding them so facred arose from a notion that they were gifted with fupernatural powers.

Mr. Bryant, in vindicating his explication of the word Hanes, as fignifying a fountain of light, takes occafion to make fome juft ftrictures on the conduct of thofe learned men, who regard the Hebrew language as the ftandard, according to which ancient terms are to be expreffed and explained. They have not confidered that every other nation, to which we can poffibly gain accefs, or from whom we have any hiftory derived, appears to have expreffed foreign terms differently from the natives in whofe language they were found. And without a miracle the Hebrews must have done the fame. We pronounce all French names differently from the people of that country; and they do the fame in refpect to us. What we call London,

they

they exprefs Londres: England they ftile Angleterre. What fome call Bazil, they pronounce Bal: Munchen, Munich: Mentz, Mayence: Ravenfpurg, Ratisbon. The like variation was obfervable of old. Carthago of the Romans was Carchedon among the Greeks. Hannibal was rendered Annibas: Afdrubal, Afdroubas: and probably neither was confonant to the Punic mode of expreffion. If then a prophet were to rife from the dead, and preach to any nation, he would make use of terms adapted to their idiom and ufage, without any retrofpect to the original of the terms, whether they were domeftic or foreign. The facred writers undoubtedly observed this rule towards the people for whom they wrote; and varied in their expreffing of foreign terms, as the ufage of the people varied; for the Jewish nation, at times, differed from its neighbours, and from itself. We may be morally certain, that the place, rendered by them Ekron, was by the natives called Achoron : the Acaron, Axxxpwv, of Jofephus and the Seventy. What they termed Philiftim, was Peleftin: Eleazar, in their own language, they changed to Lazar, and Lazarus: and of the Greek ruvideo, they formed Sanhedrim. Hence we may be certified that the Jews, and their ancestors, as well as all nations upon earth, were liable to exprefs foreign terms with a variation, being led by a natural peculiarity in their mode of fpeech. They therefore are furely to be blamed, who would deduce the orthography, of all ancient words from the Hebrew; and bring every extraneous term to that teft. It requires no great infight into that language to fee the impropriety of fuch procedure. Yet no prejudice has been more common. The learned Michaelis has taken notice of this fatal attachment, and speaks of it as a strange illufion. He fays, that it is the reigning influenza, to which all are liable, who make the Hebrew their principal ftudy. The only way to obtain the latent purpose of ancient terms is by a fair analyfis. This must be discovered by an apparent analogy; and supported by the hiftory of the place, or perfon, to whom the terms relate. If fuch helps can be obtained, we may determine very truly the etymology of an Egyptian or Syriac name, however it may appear repugnant to the orthography of the Hebrews.'

There were many people called Hyrcani, and cities and regions, Hyrcania: in the hiftory of which there will be uniformly found fome reference to Fire. The name is a compound of Ur-chane, the god of that element. He was worshipped particularly at Ur in Chaldea: and one tribe of that nation were called Urchani.-What may feem extraordinary, our Author cannot help thinking, that the Hercynian foreft in Germany was no other than the Hurcanian, and that it was denominated from the god Urcan, who was worshipped here as well as in the Eaft.

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Eaft. We must not be furprized to find Amonian names among the Alpes; for fome of that family were the firft that paffed them. Indeed many of the Alpine appellations were Amonian; as were also their rites: and the like is to be obferved in many parts of Gaul, Britain, and Germany.

Speaking of Britain and Ireland, Mr. Bryant remarks, that both of these countries, but especially the latter, abound with facred terms, which have been greatly overlooked. 'I will therefore, he adds, fay fo much in furtherance of the British antiquarian, as to inform him, that names of places, especially of hills, promontories, and rivers, are of long duration; and fuffer little change. The fame may be faid of every thing, which was efteemed at all facred, fuch as temples, towers, and high mounds of earth; which in early times were used for altars. More particularly all mineral and medicinal waters will be found, in a great degree, to retain their ancient names; and among these there may be observed a resemblance in most parts of the world. For when names have been once determinately affixed, they are not eafily effaced.-I have been affured by my late excellent and learned friend Mr. Wood, that if you were to mention Palmyra to an Arab upon the spot, he would not know to what you alluded: nor would you find him at all more acquainted with the hiftory of Odænatus, and Zenobia. Inftead of Palmyra he would talk of Tedmor; and in lieu of Zenobia he would tell you, that it was built by Salmah Ebn Doud, that is by Solomon the fon of David. This is exactly conformable to the account in the fcriptures: for it is faid in the book of Chronicles, he also (Solomon) built Tadmor in the wilderness. The Grecian name Palmyra, probably of two thousand years ftanding, is novel to a native Arab.'

In treating of the worship paid at caverns, and of the adoration of Fire in the firft ages, our ingenious Writer produces many ftriking proofs of the prevalence of these two species of fuperftition. Men repaired either to the lonely fummits of mountains, or else to caverns in the rocks, and hollows in the bofom of the earth; which they thought were the refidence of their gods. At the entrance of these they raised their altars, and performed their vows.-When in procefs of time they began to erect temples, they were ftill determined in their fituation by the vicinity of thefe objects, which they comprehended within the limits of the facred inclofure. These melancholy receffes were efteemed the places of the highest fanctity: and fo greatly did this notion prevail, that in after times, when this practice had ceafed, ftill the innermoft part of the temple was denominated the cavern.-The cave in Mount Atlas was named Co-el, the House of God; equivalent to Cœlus of the Romans. To this the people made their offerings: and this

was